Getting Ready For Your Initial 5K

While the last time you ran might have been years ago during high school gym class, you could be just a few weeks away from running your first 5K. Even if you spend your days at a desk and your nights in front of the TV, you can become a runner and much more quickly that you might have thought was possible. This is a step that could change and even potentially save your life, so think about training for a 5K today.

Obviously, it might be a little bit easier to prepare for a 5K if you exercise regularly, but even if you never exercise, you can prepare for this type of race easily and quickly. After all, the race is really just a tiny bit longer than three miles. If you don’t think you can do it alone, find a friend or even a team to train along with you. Being part of a group can really be a source of motivation and inspiration.

Your first step is to select a local 5K in which you would like to participate. Most areas offer an abundance of options throughout the year, and your task is to select a race that is far enough in advance to allow you plenty of time for training. If you are going from no exercise to wanting to run a 5K, be sure to allow two or three months before your race.

Once you have found a race, create a running schedule for each week leading up to the race. Each week should have at least two rest days and at least three workout days included. Start slow during the first week by doing an initial brisk-paced walk of about five minutes, then jog for 60-90 seconds and walk for two minutes, alternating walking and jogging for 20 minutes. The next week increase your jogging time to two minutes of jogging and two minutes of walking. Then as the weeks go on, keep increasing that jogging time until you are jogging three full miles without a walking break. Remember, the hardest part is not the exercise, but committing to do the exercise. Once you have maintained a schedule for a couple of weeks, it gets easier and easier.

Typically, when you start to work out, your body responds with some muscle soreness. This is normal, and while a little soreness is nothing to worry about, pain can be a sign that you have an injury or are pushing yourself to hard. Be sure to warm up prior to a work out and also spend some minutes cooling down, as well. This prevents stiffness and injury. If an ache in a specific area really has you down, consider using a pain relief product such as physiological hybrid shape. These specially designed shapes can reduce pain and quicken the healing process.

This product, such as those created by RapidForce, is placed directly on the skin and stays firmly in place with medical-grade adhesive. You place the shape onto the sore muscle area, and it protects the sore area while gaining strength from outlying muscle groups. This allows you more freedom of movement with less pain, which is especially important if race day is approaching and you don’t wish to lose any ground.

Kamryn Mattson enjoys writing about health topics. For additional info regarding pain relief products, or to find a back pain relief product that works, please visit the RapidForce site now.

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